“We grow our own here,” said former Automotive Technology student Jason Dearman who now heads the program. He attended LMC from 1999 to 2003, leaving briefly to be an apprentice at a dealership until coming back in 2005 as a professor. In fact, all of the Automotive faculty were once former students and it seems as if many alumni can’t resist coming back.

“My predecessor Earl Ortiz, who retired a few years ago, was a student in the program and became an instructor.” 

The program’s classes — Auto Essential Car Care, Electrical, Diagnosis, Steering/Suspension, and others — are designed to give students a pathway into the automotive industry by teaching them how to diagnose and fix vehicles.

Students work on cars donated by Subaru and Mopar Cap and also have access to online sources provided by Mopar Cap and Ford. In addition, Subaru donated the scan tool instrumental in diagnosing and troubleshooting a vehicle’s systems. Faculty members also attend Tesla’s factory training and LMC’s automotive technology program is on a pathway to the Tesla Start program.

What makes LMC’s automotive program special? Unlike many other colleges around the Bay, the program works on cars within the community. In fact, if you get into contact with them they can service your vehicle for less than a mechanic would charge you — as long as the service that is needed lines up with what they are teaching this semester. 

Just like the faculty who returned to teach, current students enjoy the program. 

“Cars are fun, I like fixing them. I also like that it gets me ready for the ASE test” said student Christian Cabiguen, referencing the Automotive Service Excellence test they take for certification.

 Sourosh Faridtehrani, who works in the auto shop toolroom, said that while the program is challenging it is among the best at LMC and it has value to those on different career paths as well. 

“Everyone should learn how to work on a car, at least the basics,” he said. 

Nicholas Gale, who is in his first full-time year teaching in the program, agreed that “fixing cars is for everyone.” 

He also believes that now is the perfect time to get into the automotive industry.

“There’s a major shortage right now of technicians so that’s an opportunity for our students to not only have job security but they can also make some decent money,” he said. 

Not only that, students already receive formal factory training using Mopar Cap’s system, so if they choose to apply to one of Mopar’s subsidiaries, the record of them completing the courses will be there. 

If working on the inside of a car isn’t your thing, LMC will soon offer a detailing class, something many schools have not explored yet. 

“Detailing vehicles is a huge industry, somewhere between the $6 to $10 billion range,” said Dearman. “It’s very inexpensive for a person to get into that industry, all you need is a van and a few hundred dollars worth of materials and you can start a business.”

It’s no secret that everyone who is a part of the college’s Automotive Technology Program is passionate about it and the industry as a whole, and it’s clear there is something special about LMC’s program that keeps them coming back.

For more information on the program contact, or if you are interested in the possibility of having your car worked on in the auto shop, contact Sourosh Faridtehrani at (925) 473-7741.